Chapter 60 60: A talent like this must be under my control.

Looking at the dense red arcs crackling in the pit, Hiashi Hyuga felt his scalp tingle. He recalled the thunder dragon formed by those arcs earlier—its power far exceeded what was left behind. A flicker of regret rose in his heart. Why had he agreed to duel this kid? Why had he accepted those terms? Now that he thought about it, Kaito had clearly come prepared. That innocent act had been a trap, and Hiashi had walked right into it. "Is this your Kekkei Genkai?" Hiashi asked after a long silence. "Yes," Kaito nodded. After five years of training, Kaito had compressed his chakra far beyond the norm. What had once been deep blue chakra had now advanced, taking on a purple hue—dense and potent like mercury. If the dark blue chakra was like water, then this new purple chakra was like liquid metal—far heavier, far more powerful. Kaito believed that next time, he could compress it further—perhaps into a solid state. One drop of purple chakra held ten times the power of dark blue chakra, which itself held ten times the energy of regular chakra. In other words, Kaito's chakra was now a hundred times more concentrated than that of an average ninja of his level—enough to rival the power of a tailed beast. With this breakthrough, his control over the Thunder Fruit also evolved, shifting from dark blue lightning to crimson red. The power had increased tenfold. The lightning techniques Kaito could now unleash reached over 100 million volts—true devastation incarnate. "I've lost this battle," Hiashi declared. "I will honor our agreement regarding Hinata. I will not interfere." His face was unreadable, a mixture of frustration, disbelief, and resignation. Turning away without another word, he headed back toward the Hyuga compound. After witnessing the red lightning up close, Hiashi had no choice but to acknowledge it—Kaito's strength was real, and it was terrifying. To be honest, he had wanted to go back on his word. But too many eyes had seen the duel. As clan head, he couldn't risk dishonoring the Hyuga name. The Hyuga's strongest was only at elite jonin level—Kaito had crushed that standard. Hiashi suspected the boy might already be at the Kage level. Even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, hadn't shown such power at this age. A 12-year-old capable of defeating a seasoned elite jonin? It was unthinkable. With such talent, Kaito would no doubt rise to Konoha's highest ranks in time. Especially that final punch—the red thunder dragon had left a deep impression. Hiashi clenched his fists. Only an ancient Hyuga ancestor or the mythical Thousand Eyes Byakugan could produce such monstrous talent. "But Hinata will suffer in the future... marrying someone like Ayanami Kaito," Hiashi muttered through gritted teeth, a flicker of sadness in his eyes. "It seems Hanabi will become the next heir to the main family." Kaito had no idea what Hiashi was thinking. As the Hyuga head left, he dismissed the red lightning arcs lingering in the pit and quietly vanished. After he departed, the shinobi who had been observing from afar cautiously stepped closer. The 100-meter-wide pit was scorched black and glowing red-hot in places, resembling the aftermath of a meteor strike. A gust of hot wind swept over the approaching ninjas. "Tch... this is nearly on par with an S-rank forbidden jutsu," Asuma muttered solemnly as he stepped forward. "Was this really done by this year's academy top student? Feels like a dream." "I thought he was just a show-off who liked flaunting his relationship, but now... he's actually incredible." Murmurs of awe rippled through the gathered shinobi. --- Hokage's Office An ANBU knelt before Hiruzen Sarutobi, reporting everything that had taken place. Hiruzen, already aware of most of it, gave a calm order. "Have Earth-style ninjas repair the crater. I'll handle the rest. Dismissed." "Yes, Lord Hokage." "What a troublesome brat," Hiruzen muttered. "Just got back and already causing a scene. And yet... thanks to Hiashi, I got to witness his strength for myself. Just like Kakashi reported." [Kekkei Genkai. Elite jonin level. Not bad at all.] "Even Tsunade didn't have that kind of talent at his age." He sighed, then laughed heartily. "Haha! Tsunade finally did something good for Konoha." No matter what, Kaito was his student. He had come from Hiruzen's own teachings. "Maybe... we can prepare him for something greater," he said, eyes gleaming with purpose. (Fool...) --- Root Headquarters In the darkness of Root's underground base, Danzo Shimura sat alone, reading through the report. It detailed everything—cause, result, the entire battle process. Every moment had been recorded with precision. If Kaito had been there, he would've had to admit just how terrifying Root's intelligence network was. "Ayanami Kaito," Danzo growled, crumpling the paper in his fist. "I didn't expect this. After just a few years, the kid now has the power to defeat an elite jonin. And that red lightning—his Kekkei Genkai..." His tone turned icy. "A talent like this must be brought under control—my control." [With him under me, I'll have another Kage-level powerhouse in the future.] "We'll see how Hiruzen and his faction contend with me then," he hissed. "Ayanami Kaito... not bad. Very good." Danzo's cold smirk stretched across his face like a serpent in the shadows. --- Thanks to the number of eyewitnesses present, word spread through Konoha like wildfire. The Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans... Every family in the village received news of the duel between Kaito and Hiashi Hyuga. --- Want to read ahead of everyone else? Join my Patreon for access to 70+ chapters in advance. patreon.com/Zphyr_